You Can Get This Mosquito Virus Through Sex

The mosquito-borne Zika virus which has been spreading in Latin America and the Caribbean was discovered to be also transmittable through sexual intercourse.

Citing US health officials, the Manila Bulletin reported an individual from Texas was found to have contracted the Zika virus after having sex.

The individual whose identity was withheld reportedly had sex with an infected person who just came home from Venezuela, a Zika hotspot with thousands of cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the individual’s laboratory tests turned positive for the virus.

It added that they will soon issue guidelines on preventing the sexual transmission of Zika. But for now, it said using condoms will help in protecting yourself against the virus.

The Zika virus is currently being linked to microcephaly, a birth condition where the newborn’s head is shrunken with incomplete brain development.

The World Health Organization for its part (WHO) recently expressed alarm at the “explosive” rate the virus was spreading.

This prompted WHO officials to declare a global public emergency after meeting with several international experts.

The Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda back in 1947 where it was thought to be a harmless disease with next to no symptoms for most infected individuals. As of now there is no cure to the virus.